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No. 1 Creative Writing & Abstract Painting ‘The Face Mask’ Acrylic Paint on A3 HW Paper by Karen Robinson Nov 2014 NB All images are subject to copyright laws .JPG
INTRODUCTION
We are now into our second session of Creative Writing and feeling a bit more confident about what the process of creative writing will bring. Group participants appear to be happy to be in attendance; and keen to reveal their creative writing home work efforts, that our creative writing facilitator had set for us, to do in between our first session and this now our second session.
NB: Please click here to read the introduction to this series of posts and also more about the first session: Creative Writing Group Session 1 of 6 – “The Happy Box”
THE CREATIVE WRITING HOMEWORK
We were asked to think about writing a piece about ‘what plant/flower’ we imagined we might be! On giving this some thought and after doing a small amount of research on my choice, I decided to nominate myself as a ‘prickly pear plant’ – http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/76606/IPA-Prickly-Pear-Control-PP29.pdf
This is my homework writing piece and I called it ‘Prickly in Nature!
Title: ‘Prickly in Nature’
“I remember a time, when a CEO of a company I worked for, said to me, that I was a little prickly in nature! Yes, it is true at times, I can be a little prickly and therefore it seems appropriate I choose to be a prickly pear plant…
I am greenish in colour and have long, sharp spines that protrude from my fleshy, oval-shaped flat pads. When I am at my best, I have a show of flowers that will bare one fruit for every flower. My fruit can be peeled and eaten raw, but I like to be used to make candy, jelly, juice or wine, as it helps improve my reputation, as a sometimes likable cactus. My flowers maybe coloured red, yellow, or purple and depends where I am growing. I have a tolerate nature and therefore like a wide range of temperatures and moisture levels. I adore my desert like conditions! For centuries I have been best known for my healing capacities and hold valuable food qualities. At my worst my spines will come off into your skin, they will be difficult to remove and will irritate your skin for days, so a warning – be careful how you handle me!
So whilst at times, I can be a little prickly in nature and perhaps I don’t appeal to all; and whilst valued by some and brushed aside by others, I do know there is a place for me in this world as a prickly pear….”
Written on 2nd November 2014 by Karen Robinson – “Copyright’ Protected
![Prickly Pear Cactus with show of spines, fruit and flowers [Photo ID: imagesW166IWW4] Retrieved 9/11/2014](https://idoartkarenrobinson.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/imagesw166iww4.jpg?w=580&resize=580%2C580&h=580#038;h=580&crop=1 "imagesW166IWW4")
I was the first to embark on telling my story about, being a plant/flower and there was some discussion that I wasn’t really a ‘prickly pear’; that some of my writing didn’t sound like me. I was surprised and also pleased, but not without understanding that there is a prickly pear inside of me! Each creative writing participant then proceeded to share their plant/flower story. All were very thought-provoking creative writing pieces. Some wrote detailed and deeply personal stories that revealed life long struggles. Hearing their creative writing pieces left me pondering about the power of words and how writing our experiences can be so revealing, about what we are thinking; about what we have deeply embedded in our subconscious’. That by taking on a creative writing exercise, can bring forward these thoughts and emotions to the forefront, for further self-examination.
CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS DURING SESSION 2
During the balance of the session, we were asked to write a piece about a Sue Janson Mug. We were presented with the mug itself. It was handed around the group, where each of us had a turn, to examine it in detail. Then we were asked to brainstorm a list of thoughts that came to mind after handling the mug.
The following is my brain storm list of thoughts after viewing the Sue Janson Mug:
- Being old – not a wonderful look!
- Comfort in old age!
- Vanity disappears – thank god!
- Good humour about bodies!
- As if the face mask can hide the other 99.9% of the body image!
- Seagulls are having a good laugh!
- Learning to accept the passage of time!
- Humanizing body image!
- Low acceptance of human fragility in society!
- Glamorising of the body beautiful of so few!
No. 2 Creative Writing Session 2 – working with Sue Janson Australian Artist Coffee Cup Images as inspiration photographed by Karen Robinson Nov 2014.JPG.JPG
Once we had written our brain storming list of thoughts, we were than asked to pass it over to a partner and we where then asked to circle three thoughts and/or words/phrases on the list and give back to the writer. From this point we were ask to write a piece, which would be inclusive of those three circled word/s and mine consisted of: (1) body beautiful; (2) face mask; and (3) the seagulls are having a good laugh. From these I wrote the following creative writing piece which I titled ‘The Face Mask’.
Title: The Face Mask!
“The glamorising of the ‘body beautiful’ puts so much pressure on us as women. I have seen it, as my job as a mum, to ensure my daughter does not feel the need to adopt a falsehood of herself. That the value of a person is not summed up in, how we look first up, but in what we say and do!
Makeup wearing by women can act like a ‘face mask’ worn to hide the real self, to indicate to others that we are not happy with the real us, that an improvement of our physical self needs to be done regularly. It’s the same for body hair and in particular women’s body hair. We go to such lengths to ensure there isn’t a pubic hair in sight, when wearing bathers at the beach, fearing that the sight of one, will be an utter embarrassment and most certainly have ‘the seagulls rolling on the beach in laughter’.
It’s a tragedy that we cannot, just be our natural selves all of the time; we waste so much time, energy and money on our ‘looks’. We need to just consider our health in mind and body only, as looks fade and without a healthy mind and body…looks are just so unimportant!”
Written on 5th November 2014 by Karen Robinson – “Copyright” Protected
CREATIVE WRITING INSPIRING ART!
Again I wanted to use my creative writing piece to inspire an art work. ‘The Face Mask’ had me thinking about how as women in privileged societies spend so much time, energy and money, in trying to live up to almost impossible images that they view each and every day through television, newspapers, magazines, movies, and social media. Over a life time, masses amounts of lipstick is applied to our lips; face make up smeared onto skins; eyebrows plucked and shaped; lashes lengthened and coloured; face-lifts done to ward off wrinkles; tanning colour applied; bleaching of skin; eye colour lens to change original eye colour; hair dyed, cut and styled over and over again; along with numerous other ‘beauty’ treatments. All these effects are beyond wanting a healthy mind and body. My art work below is of a face that has had a constant laying of Matisse Acrylic Structure Paint applied to its surface – hence hiding its true self…
CONCLUSION
I am finding the creative writing group process, gives me an opportunity to express myself with words. We get to share our creative writing pieces and we have the opportunity to hear what others have written as well. It really makes you think and listen…
NB: For the purposes of this weblog series “Creative Writing Group”, I will not be mentioning any names or personal details of participants or even the name of the organisation that runs the sessions. Individuals have the right to privacy, so it will only be about my own experience – and broad statements about each particular session. I hope you will understand.
Whilst you are here – please check out my home page! My Art Therapy Journey – A window into the soul of an Abstract Artist through art therapy and storytelling…by Karen Robinson
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I loved the art you post here. And the writing also.
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Thank you Tania….warm regards Karen
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🙂
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